Gas turbine engines are used on aircraft in the form of a jet or turboprop engine to supply propulsion or as an auxiliary power unit to drive air compressors, pumps, and electric generators. They are also used to power ships, ground vehicles, and as stationary power supplies.
Referring to FIG. 1, a type of compressor disc 2 used in gas turbine engines has a plurality of compressor blades 4 having dovetail shaped roots 6 mounted in correspondingly shaped grooves 8. A metallic retainer clip 10 is disposed between the root 6 and the groove 8 and secures the blade 4 to the disc 2. Air leakage between the roots 6 and the grooves 8 is minimized by an elastomeric seal 9 glued to the inside of the retainer clip 8.
A drawback to prior art metallic retainer clips is that when they come lose from the grooves, they can damage engine components, such as blades and vanes, located downstream.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for directly sealing between axial dovetail blades and compressor rotor discs.